Six Candles
by Status Quo
Summary: Six candles burning bright, the dead watch into the night. [oneshot]


_Six candles burning bright,_

_The Experiment watches into the night._

Bodies stand strong against the cool wind that licks at their faces and makes the flames dance. Simple white candles are held tightly in their hands as if they are lifelines keeping them afloat while the world sinks deeper into the chaos.

The Experiment can't bear to look at the others instead keeping Its cold blue eyes trained only on the flickering candle watching the flame sway back and forth trapped in a rhythm It can't hear. The full moon hangs over Its head providing the only other source of light save for the flames.

Once that moon had been a beacon of hope, a symbol of Its freedom. The moon had shone fiercely as It took Its first steps into this new world leaving Its frozen cell behind. The moon had been Its constant companion and each night the moon would lull It to sleep whispering sweet promises in Its ear.

Once it had been a gentle observer but now, in the ruins of Mount Justice, it was a taunting onlooker. It mocked him from its perch in the heavens peering down with glee at their twisted ceremony.

A full moon.

A whole.

A constant reminder that he would only ever be half.

Half a man, half a hero and half a friend.

The Experiment couldn't fly. It couldn't burn and It couldn't move faster than a speeding bullet. No matter how hard It tried It couldn't stop the world from turning. It couldn't change the Earth's rotation and turn back the clock to a time when they were happy and whole. That power was beyond It and no matter how hard It trained that power would forever be beyond Its grasp.

It was nothing more than a failed experiment that should have never been allowed to roam the streets. It couldn't even protect the only family It had ever had and now, because It _wasn't_ as fast as a speeding bullet, that family had crumbled and fallen just like Mount Justice.

Now this half-man would never be whole again.

The wind, in all its twisted humor pushed past the barriers of warm flesh and caught Its flame extinguishing it with a puff. With the flame extinguished, It turned Its back on the others and ran hoping that if It put enough distance between them they wouldn't see the broken, half-made toy it really was.

_Five candles burning bright,_

_The Alien watches into the night._

The Alien watched the Experiment run and while she wanted to reach out and stop him she was rooted to the ground unable to move for fear of disturbing their solemn ceremony. If she wanted to, the Alien could have crept into their minds and put their fears to rest. She could have made them forget about the pain and the loss instead replacing the terrible gaping hole in their hearts with visions of hope and laugher.

She could have taken away their pain but she wouldn't.

She was too afraid.

The Alien looked down at her own candle seemingly lost in a trance watching the flame that held in it the power to end her life. Something so small that could grow so big and hurt her so bad. This one, single flame could grow into a raging fire catching her in its grasps and burning through all the layers and disguises leaving her naked and hopeless as it ate away at her core.

She was afraid.

Afraid of her power and the terrible price she had to pay. She'd let that power taint her, consume her and bring to light a part of her she'd wanted to stay hidden forever. That power had been her doom and when she'd needed it it wouldn't come. When she'd held her best friend in her arms trying to will away the sorrow the power had lurked just out of reach taunting her with what could have been but now would never be.

Even now, surrounded by these lights, the Alien never felt so alone. She missed the familiar connection of the minds. The warm glow she always felt whenever they were connected in their thoughts keeping their secret words hidden from listening ears. Now that connection would always be one short.

One missing.

She couldn't bear the hurt, the fear and so she had to leave. Her candle fell to the ground without a sound as she took to the air the wind blowing through her cape. The wind led her away from the bodies and the rubble to a place where she could forget about her fear.

Looking back one last time, the Alien wished deep in her heart that the wind could take her somewhere where she'd never have to feel pain again.

_Four candles burning bright,_

_The Leader watches into the night._

The Leader knew it was his job to provide comfort and solace to his companions but he for once in his life he let his selfish desires keep him where he stood.

The Leader was tired.

He was tired of the games and the secrecy. He was tired of sacrificing himself again and again for the betterment of the team. He was tired of carrying this terrible burden on his shoulders and never shedding a tear even as his heart was torn apart. He had given so much for the team that it felt like he had no more left to give.

He'd given his heart, his blood and now his joy. He had given _everything_ and still all they wanted was to take. What else did they want from him? Did he not play the part of a good soldier always taking orders and willing to lay down his life to save his friends? Did he not do everything that was asked of him without question no matter how the sacrifice tore him apart in the privacy of his own room? What more did they want from him?

The Leader could feel his chest burn with pain but still he did not shed a tear. After all, he was supposed to remain strong and fearless no matter what. He wasn't allowed to cry. He wasn't allowed to show any weakness in his eyes.

It was his burden to bear but this burden had grown too heavy.

As he looked at the faces of the remaining flames he wondered when he would have to bury them as well. He wondered if he would cry at their funerals or would he be forced to keep a stone-faced vigil and continue with business as usual as if nothing had happened? Would he even get to mark their deaths or would he be the next to go with nothing but a hologram hidden in the shadows to mark his existence?

The Leader was tired.

The weight of the candle was too much for those strong hands to hold.

He brought the flame to his lips and with a single breath he blew it out as the wind caught the smoke and raised it to the air in swirls and curls. Tomorrow was another day and the Leader still had missions to prepare.

_Three candles burning bright,_

_The Bird watches into the night._

The Bird was no stranger to death. It had haunted him since it was a child and it followed his every footstep always lurking in the corners waiting for the chance to strike. It was his constant companion walking in his shadow always one step behind. Of all the lives he'd lived and all the identities he'd claimed; death was always constant.

So by now he thought he would have been used to it.

By now he thought it wouldn't hurt to have to bury another brother. So why did it feel like someone had just ripped his heart out of his body and left him there to bleed? Why did he feel like he would never be able to fly again?

The Bat had warned him that this was the price they paid for the life they lived but the Bat had never warned him how much it would hurt. The Bat had told him all about the cuts and wounds he would receive and how to treat them but he'd taught told the Bird how to heal this wound.

The Bird was whelmed.

Every inch of his being was engulfed by the anger and despair that flowed through his veins like blood seeping into the smallest cracks until it was all he was. The Bird had cried many tears these past few days and nightmares haunted his dreams taunting him with how many others he would lose. The nightmares cooed telling him he would lose again and again; friends, allies, brothers and more.

No matter where he went or how high he flew, death would always be there.

The Bird could still feel it now peering over his shoulder flexing its shadowed fingers for another chance to show its might. Death told him that no matter how many bad guys he locked up that he would never beat it.

That he might as well give up.

No matter how hard he fought, there were some battles he just couldn't win.

The Bird's candle was the next to go as he left this sacred sight hoping to lose himself in the night. His only companion was his shadow and the gentle breeze that followed after him.

_Two candles burning bright,_

_The Archer watches into the night._

He was gone.

She was gone.

There was nothing else left for her now.

They had saved the world but at a terrible price and she would never be the same again. A part of her had died along with him. A part of her would stay buried beneath the soft ground never to return and make her whole.

Love was dead.

As the wind dried the tears on her face she blew out her candle and left. She couldn't take anymore of this. For now, she just needed to forget.

_One candle burning bright,_

_The Dead watch into the night._

The wind followed them with every step letting its gentle touch caress their face as it blew through their hair trying to bring them some comfort. If they hadn't been so lost in their own thoughts perhaps they would have seen a flash of yellow and red in those gusts but they were too busy and too blind to notice.

Amongst the fallen candles there was still one flame that refused to burn out shining brightly in the darkness. It spoke of hope and a future where they could smile once again. That single flame promised warmth and a chance to grasp what was thought lost. It was a vigil for the dead but what the heroes didn't know was that the dead held a vigil all their own.

That even though you couldn't see them, the dead were always watching. Even when you were bogged down by your fears and doubts, when you thought you would never love again…the dead could hear your unspoken worries and said that everything would be ok.

They dead could not touch and they could not speak but the wind was their messenger and if they listened close they would hear the all too familiar laugh that promised better days.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Just an experimental piece to try and verbalize what I thought of Endgame. All of Season 2 has been a disappointment for me and the ending just left a very bitter taste in my mouth. It could have and should have ended differently but it is what it is and I'm sad to see a show like Young Justice go.


End file.
